Overlooked Movie Marathon 2: City of God (2002)

It’s the last day of the month.  We’re in the last three hours as I begin writing this.  I’ve just finished the last movie of my September marathon an hour or so ago.  This has been a long month of watching good movies.  But before it is over, I have to end this marathon by writing about the last movie in the second annual Overlooked Movie Marathon.  It’s a foreign film called City of God.

City of God is a 2002 Brazilian film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund.  It is a story about crime in Rio de Janeiro as told through the eyes of Rocket (played by Alexandre Rodrigues), a budding photographer.  The tale is about the rise of Li’l Ze (Leandro Firmino), a drug kingpin who, along with his friend Benny (Phellipe Haagensen), ends up in a turf war against Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) and Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge).  There are many other characters that come in and out of the movie as it goes along.

There is a really interesting use of structure within City of God that kept me captivated through the entire movie.  The way that the movie is linear while also jumping back and forth through time intrigued me.  The story would always move forward, but every once in a while, it would jump back to a thread that tied directly into what was currently happening.  These jumps always helped push the story forward and it was always moving in a forward direction.  It was a way of storytelling that I haven’t seen too often in films.  It felt sort of like reading a novel, except it was much more visual, as opposed to mental.  I quite enjoyed that way of letting the story unfold.

I also enjoyed the performances throughout the movie.  This has been something I’ve repeated again and again throughout the marathon.  City of God is no different than what came before it in the Overlooked Movie Marathon.  There were fantastic performances all around.  What surprised me most about the quality of acting throughout the movie was that I didn’t know any of the actors outside of Alice Braga.  A lot of them seemed like they could have been amateur actors, and with a little bit of research it seems that many of the actors were people from areas like those depicted in the film.  It’s astonishing that they got such good performances out of all of the actors and actresses.  From the adults to the children, everyone held their own on screen.  Notably, Leandro Firmino and Phellipe Haagensen bring a confidence and charisma to their respective roles that seem impossible to replicate.  Leandro Firmino personified the insanity of Li’l Ze, while Phellippe Haagensen exudes the warmth and cool of Benny.  The two seem like the most irreplaceable actors in a film filled with actors who feel perfect for their roles.

One thing that I noticed in City of God that I never would have expected was the amount of American music.  Now, I’m not saying that countries around the world wouldn’t have access to music from other places (North Korea obviously excluded from this), but when I’m watching a foreign language film set in a country which doesn’t have English as its national language, I tend to not expect English language music.  City of God has a few recognizable songs.  The two that stood out the most to me, mostly because of their timing in the film, were Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine by James Brown and Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas.  Although this film is Brazilian and about Brazilians and Brazilian life, it’s still easy to see the influence that American society can have upon other countries.  That wasn’t a theme of the movie in any way whatsoever, but the music can help to show it.  The United States of America has been a big part of the world since its creation.  It has influenced politics, technology, and as evidenced through City of God, movies and music.

Watching City of God was an eye-opening experience.  It was a great way to put a lid on the second annual Overlooked Movie Marathon.  I saved one of the best for last.  It’s been a great month filled with great movies.  Thanks to everyone who suggested these movies.  I forget who you were because I never wrote down who suggested what.  But thanks.  They were good movies.

I’m not going to do any awards this time around for three reasons.  The first reason is that it takes time to actually think through the awards, and choose what will be the best.  The second reason is that when all the movies are good, it makes it really tough to single out the best in the movies.  I want to single everything out, and I can’t.  The final reason is that I just don’t want to do the awards.

Thanks for reading the posts this month.  I’ve enjoyed the movies.  I hope you enjoyed what I wrote about them.  See you all around for my other posts.  If you want another marathon, I think I’ll do one in November.